Taiwanese hardware vendor Micro-Star International (MSI) has received an 18-month exemption to the US ban on foreign-made Wi-Fi routers, clearing a path to sell its upcoming Radix GRBE94 and GRBE36 models in the American market.
On October 21, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) updated its Covered List registry to grant conditional approval for the MSI Radix series GRBE94 and GRBE36 routers. According to PCMag, the temporary waiver took effect on October 21, 2026, and runs through April 17, 2028, which represents the maximum 18-month exemption window permitted under the federal order.
The exemption is required because the FCC added all consumer-grade routers produced outside the United States to its national security Covered List on March 24, 2026. Under those supply chain rules, networking vendors cannot receive new FCC equipment authorizations for foreign-built hardware unless they secure conditional approval from the Department of Defense or the Department of Homeland Security. To qualify for a waiver, manufacturers must explain why their hardware is built abroad and submit a time-bound plan to establish or expand domestic US manufacturing.
Both the GRBE94 and GRBE36 belong to MSI's gaming-focused Radix lineup. At Computex in Taipei in June 2026, MSI stated that it was preparing at least three new Wi-Fi 7 routers under the Radix family featuring up to 10 Gbps wired Ethernet ports, FortiSecu network security, and MSI Mesh compatibility. While the conditional approval removes the primary trade barrier, PCMag reported that MSI still needs standard FCC equipment authorization before either the GRBE94 or GRBE36 can ship to US retailers. The GRBE94 has already received regulatory certification in Japan, though MSI has not announced US retail pricing or launch dates for the two models.
With the waiver, MSI joins Asus, Netgear, Amazon's eero, Adtran, and SpaceX's Starlink on the FCC's list of approved router exemptions. Temporary waivers remain critical for the consumer networking market because almost all router manufacturing currently takes place in Taiwan, Vietnam, and Mexico. By contrast, PCMag noted that no Chinese networking vendor has received an exemption to date, prompting rival TP-Link to partner with US contract manufacturer Keytronic Corporation to assemble upcoming Wi-Fi 8 routers at a facility in Mississippi.
Because the FCC has not yet published a formal renewal mechanism for expiring waivers, MSI and other exempted hardware vendors have until spring 2028 to either transition router assembly to US facilities or secure subsequent federal extensions before their conditional approvals lapse.
